Nigeria's Creepy 'Plane Graveyards' Are Getting Cleaned Up

Nigeria has had a tumultuous aviation history — airline companies have collapsed and the country has suffered a number of accidents, including a crash that killed 163 people in June.

Now the government is trying to revamp the industry, remodeling terminals and even announcing plans to start a national airline, according to the AP.

As part of the effort, workers have started clearing the country's notorious "airplane graveyards," airfields that hold the carcasses of dozens of planes and can be seen as passengers land at the airport in Lagos and elsewhere.

Around 65 of these defunct planes sit rotting around the country, sometimes still loaded with fine china and instruction manuals, the AP reported.

The planes will be offered for free to people who apply, but most will probably be headed for the scrapyard.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos is home to one of the biggest "airplane graveyards" in Nigeria.

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A dozen plane carcasses can be seen as passengers land — not a very comforting site.

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Some of the planes belonged to airlines that are now defunct, and still hold fine china and flight manuals.

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The country's plan to overhaul its airline industry comes partly out of security concerns amid recent attacks by a radical Islamist sect, according to the AP.

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Workers dismantled the wings and bodies of the planes.

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They are being offered for free, but most will probably end up in Nigerian scrapyards.

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The work at the Lagos airport alone could take weeks.

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In addition to clearing the "graveyards," Nigeria's government plans to overhaul the country's airline terminals. Some have not been updated in 50 years.

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Officials have also said they plan to start buying planes and launch a national airline carrier.